Artist Voice
Abstract
In this chapter, Jon Boden of the band Bellowhead confronts a pervasive element of folk performance that affects reception and yet often escapes notice: spoken introductions. He points out that as a conversational and informal art, folk music shares much with humour. Introductions, he argues, can serve several important purposes, including framing narratives, providing historical context, distancing, and offering a partisan viewpoint. Folk performers often have to balance an audience’s desire for a sense of personal accessibility and communality with the equally necessary demands of entertainment professionalism.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Musicology and Musical Analysis
Music History and Culture
Arts and Performance Studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Cambridge University Press eBooks
- Pages
- 184–188
- Publication date
- 31 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter